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A. TRIBB. SBGONDAMBQATTBRY. A Ne. 284,343. f Patented Sept. 4f 1883.

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.`1*T:S a -Z'T EL ,2 I E l l V(No Model.) 2 sheets-sheet 2.

A. TRIBE.

SECONDARY BATTERY. V-

No. 284,343. Patented-sepu-4,.v18\8sv.

N, PEIERs Pham-umogupher. whingum nc.

' UNITED STATES PATENT FFCE.

` ENGLAND..

y SECONDARYBATTERY.

l, ,-sP'EoIFIcATIoN forming part ofV Letters Patent No. 284,343, dated september 4, 18.553.I

` i i Application filed February'Q, 1883. (No model.) Patented in England April l, 1882, No. 1,587, Balay 11, 1882, No. 2,263, and

" r `November 24, 1882, No. 5,601, and in France September 30, 18821, No. 151,323, and November 13, 1882, No. 152,067.

F `To `all whom t may concern,.- l i `Beit known that I, ALFRED TRIE, a subject fof theQueen of Great Britain, and residing at Denbigh Road, Notting-Hill, County of Mid# f5 edlesex, England, have invented certain Im- T proveinents in Secondary Batteries, (for which gl have obtained patents in Great Britain, No. jieagdateu April 1, 1882,1v;2,263,61ated- May 11,1882, andNo. 5,601,1date`dNovember 24j, @1382," and in France, N0.\151,323, dated September 30, 1882, and for which Ihave made l applications in Germany, U dated October 6, l 1882, fAustria, dated October; 6, 18,82, and

thefollowing is a specification. e

e rlwhis inventionlrelatesto theconstruction of `3 tlieplates or elements of secondary galvanic batteries. V

e `It consists, first, in the employment for the 2a negative plate or element of a `couple orcell of a grooved frame'of non-con ducting material, aconductor therein, and a filling of lead `pere oxide or` other oxide or` compound of lead in C `thegforni of a plate set in said-frame. 2 5` It consists, secondly, in making-the conduct- T i ors Iof negative plates or elements, such as laboveudescribed, or the foundation plates or` supports, (when such are used,) or the conduetors of other elements, of lead which has 3o been converted to a greater or less degree `into sulphide, arsenide, oxide, phosphide, or other` compound of anelectro-negative character. 31 Ordinarily the supporting or foundation plates or conductors, being of lead, are electro-posi .tive to the active material in contact therel with, and local circuits are set up, which cause loss, of the energy stored and the destruction lof the u said plates or conductors. By the pres- `1 `ent invention the portion ofthe conductor in 4,0 fcontact `with the active material isitself electro-negative, or more nearly in the same `position in the electro-chemical scale as the active material, andthe difficulties arising from local action `are thus`.to` a` large extent, if not en- 1,5 tirely, avoided. Preferably, the conductor is `only surfaced with theelectro-negative com l 1 pound, the interior being metallic.

T. `Theinvention consists, thirdly,in the ein#L .".ployinent for the positiveplate or element of a `l\France,.datedivovember 13, 1882,) 0f which couple or cell of a grooved frame of conduct- 5o ing material, i or of non-conducting material when combinedwith'a conductor. This frame contains'the active material in the form of a plate of reduced or porous lead. The invention also comprises the combina.

tion, With each other, of negative and positive `elements constructed as above indicated. In

charging, the negative elements are connected with the positive terminal or pole of the charging-circuit and the positive elements with the 6o negative pole or terminal.

The following is a description of the manner in which the-invention is or may be carried into effect, reference being had to the `accompanying drawings, which form a part of this speoi-y cation.

\ Figure 1 is aside viewof the frame and con ductor of a negative element Without the fill= ing of lactive material. Fig. 2 is a partial view of the same in horizontal section. Fig. 3 illus- 7o trates, inv section through one side, three forms of grooved frame for a positive element; and Fig. 4 is a partial view in horizontal section of a cell of secondary battery constructed in accordance with the invention.

For the negative plates or elements a rectangular. frame, G, of Wood, slate, porcelain, or other non-conducting substance not readily acted upon by the exciting solution or elec-` trolyte (dilute sulphuric acid) is employed. 8o It is grooved ontheinside, and in the groove is placed Vthe. conductor D, of lead, superflcially` coated with sulphide or other electrofnegative compound of lead., The conductor may be of other material-Tas, for example, of lead alone, 8 5 or` of lead or copper electroplated with gold or platinum; but the former is preferred. It is'shown in the form of a rod or strip extending around three sides ofthe frame; but it can be of other forms, and may pass entirely 9o around the frame, or simply down one or both sides. Where* it passes out of the groove e through the exciting liquid or electrolyte, (the upper surface of 'which is indicated by the dotted line A, Fig. 1,) the conductor is pro- `teeted with insulating material B, suoli as india-rubber or gutta-percha. The material whichis to forni the `active ,part of the ele-.

placed in an envelope or wrapper of porous material-such as felt, flannel, calico, asbesA tus, cloth, and the like. The incased plate,

by melting sulphur and lead together, and be ment is preferably peroxide of lead or minium, or mixtures of them; but rother lead compounds or mixtures of two or more compounds may be used-as, for example, minium or peroxide of lead in admixture with other oxides of lead, or with the sulphate of` lead, or with mixtures of oxide and sulphate of lead. This material is or may be made into paste of the proper consistency with water, or, by preference, dilute sulphuric acid, and having been placed in the frame and in contact with the conductor, the plate or element may be laid aside for it to harden. l Instead of proceeding in this way, the material maybe compressed and the compressed sheet set in the frame, and a paste of other material (like or unlike that which has been compressed) applied thererIhe plate or element thusprepared is when pure peroxide has not been employed in its construction has the active `material converted into peroxide by electrical action.

To surface the leaden conductor with sulsolution 'of sulphide and heated; or it may be exposed, when heated, to the vapor of sulphur. Instead, however, of forming a surfacey layer of lead sulphide on the lead conductor, the latter may be made of a compound formed cast or otherwise made into the desired shape. rIhe lconductors formed of such compound may have their surfaces further sulphurized, as above described, if desired. Instead of sulphurizing the conductor, it may be provided with a coating of oxide by converting` the surface metal into oxide by electrolysis, and then subjecting the coating to friction or pressure. rlhese operations are or may be repeated until no further oxidation takes place. The conductor mayalso be rendered electro-negative by converting` the lead comprising it into phosphide or arsenide. These substances may be added to the molten metal in proper prov portion, and the product cast into the required form. rIhesemethodsare given by way of example. It is not intended to limit the invention to them. the foundation plates or support of elements (when these are used) as to other conductors, the object in all cases being, as before stated,

to convert the metal to a greater or less extent into an electro-negative compound, so as to prevent local action. The conductor D is lsupposed to havebeen .prepared or surfacedbefore being placed in the grooved frame.

In the construction of the positive plates or elements the operations above describedy for the manufacture of the negative plates or elements may be followed, onlyit is not necy essary to protect the leaden conductor, either by conversion into an electro-negative com` pound or by coating with insulating material,

.They are applicable as well -to and the oxide or compound forming the active part of the plate or element is reduced to metallic lead instead of being peroxidized. In-V stead of being of non-conducting material,

the frame may be made of any suitable conducting material, but preferably vof lead, the material (lead compound or mixture of lead compounds) being placed therein, as described,

for the non-conducting frame, and the con- 4ductor D being, if desired, omitted.

the frame is conducting, it has preferably a cross-section of one of the forms shown in Fig. 3. The positive .plate or element may be employed with or without a supporting wrapper or case. In -both plates or elements the grooved frame forms a part of the plate or element, and its use is essentially di`erent from that of a containing-vessel. having grooves made in its sides to separate theelem'ents or plates and retain them in an upright position.

In Fig. two pairs of positive and negative elements are shown assembled. The nega-A tive element-s (which in charging areconnected with the positive pole of the generator, and from which the current in discharging proceeds) consist each of a non-conductive grooved frame, C, inclosing a conductor, D, of lead coated with a layer of lead sulphide, a sheet, F, of compressed peroxide of lead, and a coating,pG, of red lead or other suitable compound of leadapplied to each face of the plate, and a wrapper, H, of felt. .The conductor D is laid in the groove of frame C,

as shown in Fig. 1, and the sheet of peroxide is then placed in position, being filledsay in a moist, pulverulent, or granular form-into the frame, supported on a suitable bed, and then compressed, so that it is forced into the groove, and-constitutes a self-sustaining sheet or filling. The red lead G is or may be applied in the form of a paste or mortar with a spatula or tiowel. The positive elements consist of a grooved lead frame, E, a mass, I, of reduced lead filling said frame,- and a felt Wrapper, K. The elements are separated from each other by strips L, of rubber, as common in the art. They arearranged in alternation, (positive following a negative, and vice versa,) and the elements of like name are connected with the same binding-post or exterior con! ductor. M is the containing-vessel, of ordinary lor suitable non-conducting material.' It is obvious that .the elements of either name could be modified, as before indicated.

Having now fully described the said invention and the manner of carrying the same into effect, what I claim isi l. A negative element or plate for secondary batteries, comprising, in combination, a grooved non-conducting .frame forming a part of said element'or plate, a conductorl When ary batteries comprising active material-such as lead oxide in` Contact Wit-l1 a eond'uetor-a t conductor Composed, where it is `in` ebntact `with said electro-negativeactive` material, of

5 anV eleetrO-negative compound of lead, such as liereinbefore recited.` i t 8. A positive element or plate comprising a groovedfranie forming partof said ele- :ment or plate, in combination with a plate fIQ` of lead set in said frame, substantially as described.

4; In a cell of'seeondary battery, one 0r pound, in combination with` one or more positive plates consisting each of a grooved frame and a plate 0f lead set therein, said frames forming eaeli a part of the corresponding element or plate, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof Ihave signed my name to this speeieationin the presence of two subseribing Witnesses.

ALFRED TRI-BE.

Vitnesses:

CHAs. JAs. J oNEs,`

more negative elements consisting eaell` of a y. p grooved frameof non-conducting material, a I5 conductor therein, `and a iillingof `lead Coin- 47 Lincolns Inn Fields, London. WVM JOHN VEEKS,

3l Lombard Street, London. 

